OTTAWA — An in-depth background check of Patrick Brazeau by senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office either ignored or overlooked the conflicting addresses now at the heart of an RCMP probe into the embattled senator’s finances.

A court filing by the lead investigator in a breach-of-trust probe revealed last week that the Mounties are looking into tax returns filed by the former high-profile aboriginal leader.

At one time, when Brazeau was claiming aboriginal tax status, his driver’s licence and passport showed his address as his former father-in-law’s house on the Kiniw Zibi Mika First Nation reserve in Maniwaki, Que.

Police, however, say he was actually living in Gatineau, about 90 minutes away, directly across the river from the national capital.

A spokeswoman for Brazeau, Debby Simms, declined to comment because of the ongoing investigations.

Privy Council Office official Raymond Rivet says a background check was done when Brazeau was appointed as a Conservative senator in 2008, but he would not say whether the address discrepancy was spotted.